Magnum P.I. was one of the most successful TV shows of the ’80s. With Tom Selleck in the lead, the crime drama aired on CBS from 1980 to 1988. Three decades have passed since the show went off the air, and the series has seen several actors die. One Magnum P.I. cast member — Roger E. Mosley — suffered a tragic death after a paralyzing car crash last year.
Roger E. Mosley played a helicopter pilot in ‘Magnum P.I.’
The original Magnum P.I. follows a laid-back, aloha shirt–wearing private investigator living on a luxurious beach estate owned by a wealthy author after Magnum solves one of his cases. Thomas Sullivan Magnum (Selleck) doesn’t take many cases unless they suit him. And although his life in Hawaii is mostly breezy, he often has to contend with the estate’s caretaker, Jonathan Higgins (John Hillerman).
The two start off on rocky footing, but they eventually develop a fondness for each other. Aside from Higgins, Magnum has two other companions on the island who help him with cases.
The first is a bar owner, Orville Wilbur Richard “Rick” Wright (Larry Manetti), and the other is local helicopter pilot Theodore “T.C.” Calvin (Roger E. Mosley). Magnum, T.C., and Rick know one another from their war days in Vietnam. The P.I. often uses trickery and bribery to get his two buddies to help him on cases, much to their chagrin.
Magnum employs Rick’s connections in the Hawaiian underbelly to obtain information for his cases and uses T.C.’s piloting skills to move from one place to another. T.C. also has excellent combat skills, which come in handy whenever Magnum handles complex cases involving fistfights. Mosley returned for CBS’s Magnum P.I. reboot, appearing in two episodes as John Booky.
Roger E. Mosley’s tragic car accident and Tom Selleck’s reaction
On Aug. 7, 2022, The Hollywood Reporter broke the news that Mosley had died after a car crash in Lynwood, California, left him paralyzed from the shoulders down. Speaking to the outlet, his daughter Ch-a Mosley said her father died three days after the accident.
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She also announced the celebrity’s death in a heartfelt Facebook post: “Roger E. Mosley, my father, your friend, your ‘Coach Mosley,’ your ‘TC’ from Magnum, P.I., passed on at 1:17 am. He was surrounded by family as he transcended peacefully. We could never mourn such an amazing man.”
She praised her father and urged fans to celebrate him. “He would HATE any crying done in his name. It is time to celebrate the legacy he made for all. I love you, daddy. You loved me too. My heart is heavy, but I am strong. I will care for mommy, your love of almost 60 years. You raised me well, and she is in good hands. Rest easy.”
Reached for comment, Selleck told Entertainment Tonight: “Lotta miles with my friend Roger. Some pretty good ones too. Rest in peace, my friend.”
Where are the other ‘Magnum P.I.’ cast members now?
John Hillerman, who played the scene-stealing, uptight Higgins, appeared in all eight seasons of Magnum P.I. He died of natural causes at 84 in 2017.
Larry Manetti was also a regular Magnum P.I. cast member. After the show ended, he appeared in several films and TV shows, including Walker, Texas Ranger; Battlestar Galactica; and Fantasy Island. Like Mosley, Manetti appeared in the Magnum P.I. revival, playing his original character, Rick. Manetti turned 75 on Jul. 23, 2022.
Tom Selleck, the most famous of the Magnum P.I. cast, turned 78 on Jan. 29, 2023. Since the show ended, he has appeared in various TV series, most memorably as Richard Burke in Friends and Frank Reagan in Blue Bloods.
